Flora of New Zealand Series

Veronica subsimilis Col. in T.N.Z.I. 31, 1899, 278.

V. astonii Petrie in T.N.Z.I. 40, 1908, 288.

Type locality: "Ruahine Mountain-range, east side; February, 1898, Mr. H. Hill". Type: W, 5342, Herb. Colenso.

Bushy shrub up to c. 3 dm. tall or occ. more; branches ± erect or spreading, densely branched at tips. Ultimate branchlets (1)-1·5-2-(2.5) mm. diam., us. only slightly tetragonous; internodes 0.75-1·25 mm. long, us. entirely hidden; nodal joint well-marked. Lvs 1·5-2 mm. long, connate up to ⅓ length, deltoid to deltoid-oblong, very thick, strongly concavo-convex and us. spreading, rounded on back, tip ± subacute, weakly keeled, incurved and ± boat-shaped, thickened and flat inside. Spikes 4-8-fld. Bracts c. 2 mm. long, ± ovate, acute, keeled, weakly ribbed. Calyx 2-2.5 mm. long, anterior lobes ovate-oblong, obtuse or subacute with central rib, free for c. ⅔ length. Corolla-tube us. slightly < calyx. Capsule 2.5-3·5 × ± 2 mm., ± oval, subacute, > calyx.

DIST.: N. Ruahine and Tararua Ranges; Pouakai Range, A. P. Druce. S. Nelson? Subalpine scrub and tussock.

Certain Nelson specimens almost exactly match North Id plants, though most are referable rather to the closely-related sp. H. coarctata which differs in more loosely spreading habit, internodes longer and often partly visible, lvs connate for a greater proportion of their length with the tip ± incurved but hardly boat-shaped. The limits between these spp. are not well-defined however.

The type consists of two small branched pieces with a few infls pressed on a card on which is written (probably in Colenso's hand) "Veronica subsimilis, Col. A peculiar alpine form, pretty in flower". These appear to be from an unusually robust plant and have stout, somewhat tetragonous branchlets 2-2.5 mm. diam. with broad, rather appressed deltoid lvs 2 mm. long. Few later collections seen match the type closely. Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 530) placed the name as a synonym of V. tetragona but neither the specimens nor the description support this interpretation.